Vital bicycle accident statistics you need to know

On behalf of Rosenthal & Kreeger LLP posted in Personal Injury on Friday, October 27, 2017.

Every day multiple bicyclists suffer catastrophic injuries in California. In many cases, these injuries will be fatal or lead to lifelong disabilities. For this reason, bicyclists need to use their common sense, follow all the rules of the road and utilize safety equipment -- especially helmets -- at all times.

Bicyclists may also want to familiarize themselves with the following national bicycle accident statistics from 2015 so they are aware of exactly how dangerous it is to be on a bike in this country:

The total number of bicycle fatalities was 818. This represented a 12.2 percent increase from the year before and it was the highest number of deaths since 1995.

The number of bicyclists injured was 45,000, representing a 10 percent decline from 2014.

Thirty-seven bicyclists under the age of 15 died and 5,000 suffered injury.

The average age of a fatal bike accident victim was 45.

Eighty-seven percent of the fatal bicycle accident victims were male and 83 percent of the injured bicycle accident victims were male.

Seventy percent of the bike crashes happened in urban environments and 61 percent happened at intersections. Only 3 percent happened in an actual bike lane.

Fifty percent of the bike fatalities happened in the daylight.

Bike-related deaths accounted for 2.3 percent of all traffic deaths.

Twenty-seven percent of fatal bike crash victims had alcohol in their systems.

Thirty-seven percent of all bike crashes involved a cyclist or a driver who had been drinking.

Bicyclists who have been injured -- and family members of bicyclists who have been killed -- may be able to pursue personal injury claims or wrongful death actions to seek justice and restitution in court. A California personal injury lawyer can assist you in evaluating your potential legal action if you or a loved one has been involved in such a bicycle-related crash.

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